NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10
As expected in fantasy, elves have bright ears.
This applied to Selena Windforce, the half-elf as well.
– The marksman role is basically for fairies, right?
– Well, if you’re from a hunting family or a renowned lineage of archers, humans can get a shot too.
– Man, even archery is getting competitive…
– Is she aiming to be a marksman too?
– Half-elf?
– Does that mean she only has half the talent?
Whether she wanted to hear it or not, she had to listen to the chatter around her.
As the war intensified, a small number of elf tribes were allowed to enroll in the academy, and she was no exception.
In fact, for her, the academy was a refuge.
It was the first place where she could feel a sense of stability, in a world where she found it hard to belong.
Of course, being a half-elf came with its complexities, making her a juicy gossip topic for the chattering students.
Honestly, archery had long been a fairy’s profession.
Elves, with their harmony with the wind spirits, could form contracts with sylphs to wield wind archery.
This created a skill gap that was different from the simple development of archery seen in nobles’ pastimes or commoner’s hunters.
But…
‘I’m still…’
– Selena, you haven’t signed a contract yet?
– Ah… sorry. I asked something unnecessary…
– It’s fine! I’m sure the spirits will bless you soon!
Sadly, she still had not felt the touch of a spirit.
In fact, that made her stronger.
Rumors can be silenced with skill.
This was Selena’s belief.
From the moment she was born, she had never let go of her bow.
In other words, any doubts about her talents could be proven with her skills.
No need to fuss around like humans; she just needed to show it.
Regardless of the spirits’ blessings, she could be a marksman.
This was just the beginning.
Just as she was thinking this, another ordinary human caught her eye,
No, he was a man who had to be ordinary.
‘Lev Denec…’
The most pathetic person she had seen among humans.
– Hey, do you know what family I’m from?!
– The class level is so low; it just makes me yawn.
An empty cart rattles loudly, and those with nothing often boast as if they have a lot.
He was a textbook example of that.
A typical person that Selena despised.
So she had completely ignored him.
Yet, this person, who had blindly trusted his magical abilities and acted tyrannically, suddenly claimed he was aiming to be a marksman.
In fact, she heard him clearly.
– I think I can do well.
“……”
– Grrr…
Selena clenched her fists.
His honest reply felt like ridicule towards all her efforts so far.
*
She wasn’t a reincarnated hero, but there was a player like that in some old game.
Rumor had it that it was inspired by a famous novel, where the player only handed guns to the mercenary NPCs in their party.
As they say, a gun is just a gun.
Being a mechanical device, it merely fires bullets and isn’t well-suited for a caster’s inherent magic or talents.
Thus, it’s easy to handle and recommended for newbies, but, just as its name suggests, it has clear limitations.
But that player flipped it on its head.
Since bullet enhance could introduce variables into damage, they prepared that ahead of time,
And compressed their stats to invest solely in stamina and accuracy, throwing away magic or strength.
After all, they’d just give it to disposable mercenary NPCs, so instead of troublesome circle builds or sword builds, they optimized to breeze through the early game.
‘At one point, it had set the forums ablaze…’
That turned into a week-long debate about whether “is it efficient or not” that made the community explode.
Anyway, the lesson I learned from that incident is simple.
If your stats are trash, guns are the way to go in the early game.
Newbies should ride the gun wave.
This was a formula and a strategy.
*
– Clang!
[Anonymous Feedback: Guns aren’t the essence.]
[In response to the reader who said guns aren’t the essence, this world has no guns.]
“Crazy?”
Did I actually comment that?
No way. Who’s this guy?!
Of course, in a modern fantasy world, guns may seem like they lack essence.
But in that Guinness-recorded game, [Humans vs. Orcs], the dwarves have inherent gun proficiency and use firearms, right?
That’s what I was trying to convey…
Sigh… that author… really.
It’s fine.
Using a substitute for a pheasant, there are plenty of ways to utilize my abilities.
*
‘This is a little unsettling.’
Instructor Sylvester was a veteran responsible for freshmen for the sixteenth semester.
Claris Academy, where various students enroll from all over the continent, rarely sees one like this.
The academy aims to refine the primary weapons of students, maximizing their role performance and creating hero parties for combat.
Thus, they only select the most outstanding talents across the continent, and a magician aiming to be a marksman?
He’s not an elf, not from a prestigious marksman family, and not even a hunter’s child.
The student information clearly stated that the Denec family is recognized for the innate amount of mana they’ve produced, turning out decent mages.
That means noble families with magic excel in magic,
Knight families excel in knights,
And the chosen ones excel in divine powers; that’s not an idea, it’s just how the world works.
Rejecting that logic is akin to announcing “I’d like to be expelled” in an academy that enjoys ranking.
Looking at it from another perspective, such an impulsive act would stain the prideful Claris Academy, possibly leading to negative repercussions for his future.
[Lev Denec: 49 demit points]
‘I’m curious about someone with no connections and what they choose.’
When it comes to marksman weapons, there aren’t many: longbow, shortbow, crossbow, and so on, but among elves or typical archer families, the longbow and shortbow are the favorites.
At that moment, Vice Instructor Bella whispered to Sylvester so only he could hear.
Since they had been friends for a long time, Bella’s tone with the instructor had relaxed significantly.
“Hey, it’s been so long since a crossbow user from the Bei family has shown up. When was the last one?”
“Probably about ten years ago.”
“Want to wager on what he’ll pick?”
“It doesn’t seem like the time for a wager…”
“Are you scared?”
“Two weeks of meal budget on the crossbow.”
“Hey! I’m going for the crossbow too!”
Sylvester was certain about that choice.
Firstly, picking an unpopular weapon means he wouldn’t be directly compared.
Also, since the crossbow’s nature makes it easier to operate, it can be used even without high proficiency.
This was a common development that happened every semester.
However, it’s not like this was indicative of someone from a magic family.
Instead, those without significant talent chose the crossbow in desperation or the hunter’s children hoping for lucky breaks.
Crossbow ending.
The graveyard of the talentless.
Lev Denec surely knew that,
That picking a crossbow signified he wasn’t someone of great capability.
– Snap.
As Lev made his weapon choice, Bella gently tapped her forehead.
“Oh dear, gods.”
In the end, what he held was a crossbow.
Sylvester also turned his head.
“Is confidently speaking leading to this?”
*
I too understood that choosing a crossbow would mean a clear limitation on character ability.
Yet, to avoid being kicked out of the academy in the first week,
I had to select the item with the highest chance of survival.
Thus, my reason for choosing the crossbow was too simple.
—————————————————
[Oak Crossbow]
[Rarity: D+]
[Seems to be a practical one, not just for practice. The grip is made of wood, making it feel good in hand.]
[Durability: 98/100]
[Equipable]
—————————————————
Having examined the game system, I only did so because the status window suggested it.
Among the weapons that only had “practice” as a prefix,
This was the only Oak Crossbow.
It appears that since not many people would choose it, it was just left as a nominal pre-fabricated item.
So, I’m looking to gain a slight advantage from here on out.
Right now, I prefer having even a little higher base damage.
Moreover, considering that my strength is at a level one, this thing wouldn’t even have the force to draw the bowstring.
Forget the accuracy; just practicing is going to be challenging.
However, the crossbow, once the string is situated on its frame thanks to its mechanical mechanisms, can shoot with minimal user effort.
Thus, it’s perfectly suited for someone with zero innate talent like me.
In summary, picking a gun would have been optimal, but since there are no guns, I just chose the next best option.
‘After all, it’s a temporary weapon, so it’s fine.’
*
“Return to your seats.”
“Yes.”
Our protagonist Edwin is front-line support with a two-handed sword.
“…”
He hesitated for a moment as if he had something to say regarding what happened yesterday, but ultimately sat down.
After that, everything proceeded rapidly.
Everyone carefully considered their roles and chose their primary weapons.
Melissa picked a wand, mid-line support.
Aria chose a priest staff, mid-line support.
Selena picked a bow, back-line support.
“As expected.”
Everything matched the novel’s details perfectly.
“Ah, ah.”
Finally, Vice Instructor Bella began to explain the upcoming schedule.
“This wraps up the positioning. Enjoy your weekend, and the formal team assignment evaluations will be next Monday.”
“The tests will be carried out in parties. You should form groups of five with fellow students whom you share the same views with or believe you need, and submit them before the exam on Monday.”
And so, the positioning was complete.
*
An empty lecture room after the instructors left.
The students of Claris were gathered in small groups, excitedly discussing party configurations.
– Hey, are we doing this together?
– Of course. Just trust me, bro.
– Next up, healer!
– What about me, the monster-catching guy!
Party composition is undoubtedly important.
But it’s a conversation that has nothing to do with me.
Having ranked last in the entrance exam and being branded as a loser, nobody would want me in their party.
Is this the vibe of a group project bomb being passed around?
I need to apologize in advance to whoever I end up with, but the instructors will assign the leftover members anyway.
And I’ll just do my part without causing any trouble so I won’t give the academy a reason to expel me.
– So what’s everyone doing today?
– I’m taking a break today since it ended early.
– Agreed.
– I’m heading to the personal training room.
– What a tough guy…
With the afternoon completely free, everyone was contemplating what to do.
Of course, I, facing the possibility of expulsion, need to build at least a minimum level of proficiency with the crossbow all weekend.
What can I say? This is Lev Denec’s body after all.
‘Time for the fitness center.’
In [Reincarnated Hero], training halls or fighting forests were areas where you could gain extra experience.
Thus, given that this game system applies to me, going to a training center is much better than haphazardly training anywhere.
With that decision made, I was about to leave the classroom when I saw Aria standing near the entrance, seemingly waiting for someone.
“……”
She looked at me with a blank expression for a moment before stating,
“Ria, what are you doing here? Let’s hurry.”
“Oh, right.”
She then disappeared with Melissa.
“…What was that?”
Feeling uneasy, I turned to go through the front door just then,
“?”
At the threshold stood the half-elf, Selena.
True to her elf nature, her sharp gaze made it seem difficult to become close with her.
-…
She also shot me a cold stare before disappearing.
“What the heck…”
Is this what it feels like to be a bad vibe to just breathe?